Buick expands sedan lineup with Verano

Buick’s compact 2013 Verano is its third all-new sedan in three years. (Buick)

Seats are comfortable, supportive and well-tailored. Standard upholstery is leatherette/fabric and leather is available. (Buick)

Buick is venturing into the luxury-compact segment with its 2012 Verano. With a starting price of $22,585, Verano is Buick’s third all-new sedan – following the LaCrosse and Regal — in three years.

It’s built to deliver the character and features of Buick’s larger LaCrosse sedan and the expected “Buick DNA,” said Roger McCormick, Buick product marketing director.

Measuring about 6 inches shorter in length than the Regal and 13 inches shy of the Lacrosse, Verano’s styling is in sync with its sibling’s. Like the LaCrosse and Regal, Verano wears a prominent shield-shape waterfall grille, portholes atop the hood and large headlamps that wrap to the sides, and feature Verano-exclusive blue translucent projector beams.

Delivering elegance is a long, arching roof bridging a large, sloping windshield and rear pillars that sweep to meet a short decklid. Its body sides, like its sedan sibling’s, are given character with a modern interpretation of Buick’s classic sweepspear.

Power to the wheels is via a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine, partnered with a six-speed automatic transmission, which delivers 180 horsepower and 171 lb.-ft. of torque. Acceleration is respectable with the 3,300-pound sedan launching from 0-60 mph in 8.6 seconds. Estimated fuel economy is 21 miles per gallon city and 32 mpg highway.

A contributor to fuel economy is an electric power steering system, which eliminates the need for a conventional power steering pump as an engine-driven accessory.

Passengers enjoy excellent ride quality expected of a Buick, enhanced by superb seats — another Buick boasting point over the years. Front seats are comfortable, supportive and well-tailored. Standard upholstery is leatherette/fabric, and leather is available.

Another key element of Buick DNA found in the Verano is interior quietness. Buick addresses this with its Quiet-tuning system, which makes generous use of insulation materials throughout the car, as well an acoustic-laminated windshield and five-layer thermal-fiber headliner.

Headroom and legroom are good up front and in rear outboard-seating positions. In the rear, the floor hump and center console’s back portion combine to limit middle-passenger legroom.

The Verano features a standard Buick IntelliLink system, including Bose Premium Audio and OnStar-powered connectivity, which uses Bluetooth or USB to link a smartphone to a 7-inch LED color touchscreen display.
With the addition of Verano, Buick continues to reach out a larger audience – offering sedan choices that will appeal to a range of consumers wanting to experience what the modern, revamped company has to offer.